Chapter One
We’re screwed.
It should have been the tagline for the life and friendship of Kenzie Sutton and Taylor Dennis.
“This is bad,” Kenzie whispered to herself, shaking her head.
Taylor snorted. “Well, it ain’t good.”
Kenzie let go of the curtain she had been peeking through for the past ten minutes. She stepped back, bumping into Taylor, who stood close behind.
“I need you to take this seriously, Tay.” This was a familiar statement which had spanned the almost decade long friendship. Kenzie knew what the response would be before Taylor could even say it.
“I am.”
Typical and predictable.
Kenzie rolled her eyes. “No, you aren’t. We’ve got two people in a dark SUV staking out my place. It’s like something out of a movie. Do you even know who they are?” Kenzie’s fear spiked to her chest. The truck had been parked in front of her apartment building. It hadn’t moved and the occupants hadn’t gotten out.
“I have an idea.” Taylor sighed and sat on the arm of the couch. “Should we order a pizza?”
Kenzie scowled feeling the crease between her brows. “Oh yeah, we should definitely order a pizza. Oh, and let’s have it delivered so we can actually buzz the guys in, so it’s not too hard to get into my building. After all, murdering us will probably make them break a sweat. Wouldn’t want them to exert too much energy.” Her voice rose as her frustration grew. “But at least they’ll have pizza when they’re done slicing our throats and cutting up our bodies into a million pieces.”
“A million pieces? Isn’t that a bit much?” Taylor smirked.
“Taylor!” she shouted, driving her hands into her hair.
Taylor and Kenzie had been friends since high school. A friendship born on the brink of expulsion. Not how long-lasting relationships usually began but it had been for them. The bad girl and the good girl, breaking rules for the common good. As with most friendships, there was the girl who leaned toward the bad decisions and the other serving as the voice of reason. Kenzie’s voice was not being heard.
Taylor stood up from the couch and held her hands out in defense. “Okay, okay, calm down. I see the temple hard at work.”
Kenzie squinted giving her best attempt at a death stare. She never could pull it off though. Her soft green eyes were incapable of glaring, though she tried her best. “I’m freaked out here.”
All traces of humor faded from Taylor. Most people would consider Kenzie the weaker of the two, even Kenzie herself. She wasn’t necessarily a weak person but when compared to Taylor, she didn’t stand a chance. Kenzie was a ‘do the right thing’ kind of girl--she followed the rules, abided by the law, and dated the safe, easy men. Well, usually. She had fallen for a bad boy once. She had the restraining order to prove it. However, she learned her lesson. Taylor did not.
“They’re not gonna kill us, I promise.” Taylor pressed herpalms together. “Like I said earlier, they’re probably the guys from the bail bonds. They want their money but seriously, Kenz, they aren’t gonna hurt us to get it.” She tilted her head. “You know I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
It was true, Taylor would walk through fire before letting anything bad happen to Kenzie. But still, some things were out of her control. Kenzie gnawed on the remaining nail that had any substance. “They might, when they find out we don’t have the money.”
“Not yet.” Taylor chuckled. “Stop eating your finger, it’s gonna be fine.”
Her nails were practically bitten down to the pads of her fingers. The red blistery cuticle ached and still, she gnawed on her pinky. Biting her nails had been her bad habit since she was younger. Years later, she outgrew it. Except for moments of intense nervousness. Moments like this. She was screwed; they both were.
Kenzie pulled her hand from her mouth and turned back to the window. This was all Drew’s fault. She had warned Taylor about him when she first met the now ex-boyfriend. The guy gave off the vibe that would send most women running. Not Taylor, she thrived on the bad boy. Now, look where they were. Trapped inside her apartment, with God knows who stalking them.
She inched closer to the curtain, making sure she kept her body out of full view. She arched her neck to see past the curtain, and pulled back a sliver.
The black SUV with tinted windows remained parked across the street. A small glimmer of light shined from the windshield. The silhouetted bodies seated in the front seemed massive. Her heart raced and immediately, she started in on her index finger.
We’re screwed.
****
Bogs Garrison sat in the passenger seat of their SUV staring up at the fourth-floor window. The corner of his lip curled. They had been watching the building, specifically apartment 4C, for the past two hours. As the sun set, the window illuminated with a peach hue. Every so often a figure would flash by but in the last fifteen minutes, a silhouette would show from the side.
It was a woman. No denying by the outline, though she did her best to conceal being seen. She failed epically. The curtain parted slightly and his lips spread to a smile. Whoever this girl was, she didn’t know shit about subtlety, or stealth mode.
Bogs chuckled. “Spy girl’s back.” He had dubbed her ‘spy girl’ about forty minutes ago.
